Sue Z Says

Want to dine out with your baby? If your sweetie is literally an infant, try the Birchwood Café (3311 E. 25th St., Mpls., 612-722-4474), where you’ll find Sweet Cheeks baby food, made by Lori Karis from all-natural, locally grown, organic ingredients. It can also be found frozen at local co-ops.

This summer, at the Stout’s Island Lodge in Birchwood, Wisconsin (715-354-3646), I sampled executive chef Don Saunders’s delicious pea soup, with almonds, chèvre, and white truffle oil, and a whole-roasted rainbow trout. I can’t wait to see what Saunders creates this winter for John Rupp’s Commodore Hotel (79 Western Ave., St. Paul, 651-222-1751).

Have you tried the caraway rye bread at Mort’s Deli (525 Winnetka Ave., Golden Valley, 763-544-2900)? It’s the perfect match for both the corned beef and the pastrami. But leave room for dessert: The new red-velvet cake and pecan brownies are plenty special, too.

Halloween tastes better with orange-frosted cookies—or any of the nine other varieties, including snickerdoodles, made by the kids at the Cookie Cart (1119 W. Broadway, Mpls., 612-521-0855). Order by the dozen for your spooky parties.

I recently lunched at the new Normandy Kitchen (405 S. Eighth St., Mpls., 612-455-1204), where the Henry VIII burgers are as good as the ones I remember.

Sue Zelickson is host of WCCO Radio’s Food for Thought.